As many of you may have heard earlier this week, Postmedia acquired a number of Metroland newspapers and subsequently announced that they would be shut down. This included the Stittsville News. I think I can speak for every resident in the Goulbourn area when I say that this is devastating news for our communities.

John Curry first acquired the Stittsville News in 1965 and has spent the last five decades pouring his heart and soul into those pages and our communities. Alongside his long-time partner in crime John Brummell, he brought our communities together and became a real ambassador for everything that is great about Goulbourn.

The two John’s were everywhere from bake sales and school graduations to municipal elections and community events. They were mainstays at the Richmond Fair each and every year. A parade wouldn’t be a Richmond parade without John Curry stationed at the corner of Perth Street and McBean Street photographing each and every float. Their contributions to our community are immeasurable. Between the two John’s, they have been writing Goulbourn’s biography for over fifty years.

Unfortunately, we are forced to move on. I have been fortunate to have this column included in the weekly Stittsville News for nearly seven years. That, too, comes to an end. I would like to thank Metroland’s Mike Stoodley for being my go to guy on submitting these columns each and every week. We also write a monthly column in the Kemptville Advance and the Carleton Place Gazette. Mike assists with those as well.

The loss of the Stittsville News will also make it more difficult for me to connect with you. As a result, I would encourage you to visit our website at www.rideaugoulbourn.ca and sign up for our monthly e-Newsletter. With so many changes to local newspapers, we may need to consider changing that to a bi-weekly e-Newsletter. If there are any other ways that you feel my office could improve our communications, please let me know.

In closing and on behalf of a grateful community, thank you John Curry and thank you John Brummell.

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If you have any comments, questions or concerns, please feel free to email me at [email protected] or contact me by phone at 613-580-2491. For information on Rideau-Goulbourn issues, please visit RideauGoulbourn.ca.